Healthcare Abroad – Oman
While at an international conference in Muscat in about 1999, the head of our delegation suffered a mild heart attack. As the only Arabic speaker in the group, it fell to me to accompany him to the hospital, get him admitted, and keep the rest of the delegation apprised of his condition. All things considered, except for the threat to the life of a colleague, it was a positive experience. As might be expected, the doctors were both Arab and Indian, and most spoke English. Some of the nurses also spoke English, but some didn’t, and the orderlies and security staff didn’t. This is another argument for learning some of the local language.
The hospital had all the latest equipment and was clean and tastefully decorated. The staff was attentive, and the patient was kept up to date on the diagnosis and treatment. I suspect that his status as a visiting diplomat, and the continued interest of the American Embassy, helped in this regard. For the non-diplomatic patient, it would still help to be registered with the Embassy and to let them know, or have someone inform the consular office, when you are in the hospital, especially if the circumstances create a security concern. The Embassy isn’t likely to intervene in a routine medical event, even an emergency, but it can’t hurt to let them know what’s going on. Exercise wisdom; there are not many American expats in Oman. Paris and London are different. The American Embassies there are likely to wonder why you called with such a routine matter.